When his team isn’t hitting free throws, John Beilein has simple advice: picture your loved ones.

“I usually tell them to think about their mother … relax them a bit.”

Beilein admitted he didn’t relay the message to his team on Saturday against Minnesota, only one miscue of many that contributed to the Michigan men’s basketball teams foul shooting woes. Despite a 76-73 overtime victory over the Golden Gophers, the stench of a 12-for-28 performance from the charity stripe reeked and lingered.

If the party’s theme was “spill your drink,” then, well, you did what you had to do and nothing more.

For the beginning of Monday night’s contest against Northwestern, the Michigan men’s basketball team was exactly in this position. Facing the Wildcats’ zone defense, the Wolverines started 1-for-12 from three and coughed up the ball four times in the first 15 minutes, while also missing a number of defensive assignments.